Bridge openings delayed

Friday

Feb 15, 2013 at 10:53 PM

The openings of two long-awaited major bridge projects in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have been pushed back yet again.

Xerxes WilsonStaff Writer

The openings of two long-awaited major bridge projects in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have been pushed back yet again. State transportation officials are now looking at March instead of February to open the Prospect Bridge and Larose Lift Bridge to traffic.The contractor is still working to fix two issues with the $26.7 million Prospect Bridge before it can pass its final inspection, said Christopher Rogers, project engineer for the state Department of Transportation and Development. Rogers said an error by the bridge’s contractor put too much space between the concrete ramp approach and the bridge to meet design specifications. The contractor will be hydro-blasting the concrete and adding more material to reach the correct slope, he said. There is also an ongoing issue with the gearbox that lowers the traffic barriers when the span is raised. Rogers said components of the original gearbox broke and a new one had to be manufactured and installed. That repair should take place next week.“When it comes down to the end of a project like this, most of these issues that need to be fixed do not require an army out there working on them,” Rogers said. Construction of the Prospect bridge began in May 2010 and was originally scheduled to be complete last May. The bridge has had at least eight opening delays, most recently in September, November, mid-December and February.The busy span that crosses Bayou Terrebonne in east Houma had previously been delayed because of damage caused by Hurricane Isaac, late shipping of bridge components and mechanical and electrical issues.Crews from Baton Rouge-based James Construction Co. dismantled the old two-lane lift bridge and built a six-lane replacement.The bridge allows drivers to cross Bayou Terrebonne, linking East Park Avenue to East Main Street, and was heavily used. More than 18,000 motorists used the bridge daily before it closed, according to state traffic data.Residents have expressed anger in recent months at an apparent lack of activity at the bridge.The $30 million Larose Lift Bridge, which is also being built by James Construction, has had similar delays for similar reasons.The new six-lane Larose bridge connecting La. 1 and La. 308 over Bayou Lafourche was previously set to open in October. Work began in July 2010 on the project paid for through federal stimulus money.Once complete, the bridge will connect La. 308 and La. 1 where West 15th Street connects to La. 3235.The bridge will provide travelers more convenience when going to and from the four-lane La. 3235 in south Lafourche, said Henri Boulet, director of the La. 1 Coalition, which advocates for improvements to the highway.The bridge is meant to replace the aging pontoon bridge a quarter mile up the bayou.James Construction has been acquiring $5,000 fines for each calendar day both bridges are not completed unless the delays are deemed reasonable according to the contract’s terms.Rogers said fines for about 140 days as of Friday could apply for the Prospect Bridge. The final total has not been worked out because the bridge is still not open and the company has filed change orders for extra days to complete aspects it felt were not laid out in the contract, Rogers has said.The Terrebonne Parish Council voted in November to send a letter asking the transportation department to double the fines to $10,000 for each day the Prospect Street Bridge remains closed.“Maybe that will get a little action because the $5,000 a day isn’t getting any action,” council Vice Chairman Pete Lambert said during the meeting.